


Finding Serenity

by Settiai



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly
Genre: Alternate Reality, Crossover, Deus Ex Machina, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Magic, One Shot, Past Relationship(s), Pregnancy, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-22
Updated: 2005-03-22
Packaged: 2017-10-06 16:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dawn's powers suddenly go out of control, she and several other members of the Scooby Gang find themselves hundreds of years in the future... on a ship called Serenity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding Serenity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [illmantrim](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=illmantrim).



> Originally written for the Buffyverse/Firefly Crossover Ficathon.

Dawn stared at the pale green light that was emitting from her fingertips, an uncertain expression on her face. "So this has something to do with me being the Key?" she asked hesitantly.

Giles glanced up from the book he was studying and turned his attention toward the eighteen-year-old who was sitting his couch. "I believe so."

She let out a sigh, blowing a few strands of dark hair out of her face as she did so. "Great," she whispered softly. "I'm turning back into a blob of energy, and Buffy's still in California looking for whoever survived that big battle in Los Angeles. I'm not even gonna get a chance to say goodbye."

Giles shook his head before pushing his chair back from the table. He stood up and walked over to where Dawn was sitting, a reassuring smile on his face. "I doubt that you are going to turn into a... blob of energy," he said softly as he knelt down beside her.

He reached out and gently wiped away a tear that was pooling in the corner of her eye. She smiled weakly in return. "Any word from Buffy?" she asked softly.

For a few seconds, he didn't say a word. "Not since Tuesday," Giles he finally replied, albeit reluctantly. "Robin is downstairs on the phone though. He's attempting to get in touch with some of his former contacts."

Dawn couldn't help but grin slightly as she leaned back against the couch cushions. "Faith's not making him rub her feet anymore?"

"He's using the portable phone," Giles said with a chuckle. "She's still complaining that it's entirely his fault that she's pregnant."

Their smiles faded as someone cleared their throat behind them, and they both quickly spun their heads around the face the doorway. Faith was standing there, smirking at the guilty expressions that had appeared on their faces. She shook her head in amusement as she slowly made her way over to the couch.

"It's not like I'm claiming he was the only one there," she said as she dropped down beside Dawn. "I'm only saying that he was the one stupid enough to buy cheap condoms."

Giles raised an eyebrow. "You are aware that it was Andrew who bought them for him, correct?" he asked dryly.

Dawn giggled as Faith's smirk faded. "So you're saying that it's Andrew's fault that I'm pregnant?" the dark-haired Slayer asked in disbelief, her eyes moving down to focus on the slight bulge in her stomach that pressed against her shirt. "And I can't believe that I just said--"

Faith trailed off as the sparks coming from Dawn's fingertips suddenly doubled in intensity. "Holy shit," she muttered as Dawn held up her hands and stared at them.

Giles didn't say a word as he stood up and quickly walked back over to the desk. He grabbed one of the books he had been read and immediately began skimming it. On the couch, Faith reached over and gently squeezed Dawn's shoulder. The younger girl barely even noticed, however; she was entirely focused on the light coming from her fingertips.

"What's happening to me?" Dawn asked softly.

*

"I'm gonna kill her!"

Simon glanced up in surprise as Jayne's voice rang throughout Serenity, but the startled expression on his face quickly faded to one of annoyance as River ducked into the infirmary. His sister gave him an innocent smile before hurrying over and putting him between her and the door. "Not my fault," she said sweetly when he shot her an inquisitive look.

"Why am I not reassured?" he asked dryly, shaking his head slightly as Jayne stormed into the room.

Jayne's eyes were flashing as he stopped directly inside the doorway. He glared at the seventeen-year-old girl who was ducking behind Simon and took a few menacing steps forward. "Just wait until I get my hands around your neck, you little--"

Mal's voice was sharp as it suddenly sounded in the doorway. "Jayne!"

The dark-haired man turned and glared at the group of curious people who were gathering outside the infirmary. "This is between me and the girl," he said through clenched teeth. "Keep your nose out of it."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "If it's on my ship, then it's my business," he said coldly. "What the hell is going on?"

Jayne glared at Mal for a moment before glancing at Zoe, Kaylee, Inara, and Book, who were all gathered behind him. After several seconds, he rolled his eyes and turned his attention back toward Simon and River. "Keep her away from me."

Simon met Jayne's gaze without flinching. "River, what's going on?" he asked softly, never moving his eyes from the other man's face.

River let out a soft peal of laughter as she peered around Simon. "I only wanted to know what it felt like," she said primly. "You would have been confused if I had chosen you, and Kaylee would have been mad."

In the doorway, Inara's eyes suddenly lit up in comprehension. She quickly put her hand up to cover her smile, but not before Simon saw it.

"What would I have been confused about, _mèimei_?" he asked apprehensively, finally moving his gaze away from Jayne's face.

River smiled again. "If I had kissed you," she explained slowly, as if she was talking to a child.

Simon's face paled, and for several seconds there wasn't a sound in the room. Then Kaylee let out a quiet snort of laughter, and the silence broke instantly. Barely concealed laughter escaped from all of the spectators as Simon turned toward Jayne.

"You kissed my sister?" he asked coolly, an unreadable expression on his face.

Jayne shot Simon an incredulous look as the younger man took a few steps toward him. "Hell no," he spat out. "I woke up, and her face was about two inches from mine. _Tìan xiâo de_\--"

He was cut off as Simon's fist suddenly connected with his face.

*

Xander followed Willow into the room, a worried expression on his face. "How are things-- oh."

Dawn waved at him from where she sat, the green sparks that had been shooting from her hands now looking like flames. "Things are going terrifically," she said dryly.

Willow smiled gently as she sat down beside Giles at the desk. "I may have found a spell that will help," she said.

"That's good," Dawn said faintly. "Any word on Buffy?"

Willow nodded. "I heard from her this morning. Someone told her about some dead guy that looked a lot like Wesley getting up and walking away, and then they mentioned something about a, and I quote, 'gorgeous blue babe.' She's checking it out right now."

Dawn gave her a weak smile. "Did you tell her about me?" she asked hesitantly.

"Buff's planning on hopping a plane back to England this afternoon, even if she doesn't find anything," Xander replied, grinning slightly as he collapsed down beside Faith on the couch. "She's hoping to have some company with her though."

"That's good," Dawn said with a smile. "I'm just kind of worried about this whole-- not good. This is not good."

Her entire body had suddenly began glowing a pale green, and the entire lower half of her arms seemed to have bright green flames shooting from them. "Maybe you should get out of here," she said hesitantly.

"That might be a pretty good idea," Xander agreed, standing up nervously. "No offense, Dawn, but I really don't want to be in here if your Key powers suddenly go out of control."

"No offense taken," Dawn replied weakly as she watched the others follow his example. "I'm not entirely sure I want to be here if they go out of con-- oh crap."

All of the others, except for Giles, froze for just an instant, and in that moment Dawn felt herself lose control. Before she knew what was happening, the flames that had been coming from her hands suddenly began shooting from her entire body. The entire room filled with a bright green light, and she could see the fear on her friends' faces from where she sat.

Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn saw the door open. Robin stepped in, the portable phone in his hand, but he froze when he saw the scene in front of him. She saw the phone drop from his hand, and she thought that she heard him say something as Giles suddenly pushed him through the doorway and back into the hall. Then the world disappeared in a flash of green light.

*

"I think I broke my hand," Simon said weakly as Kaylee gently prodded at it.

"Nope," she said after a moment or two. "It ain't broken. I'm not sure about Jayne's nose though."

Simon glanced over at Jayne, who was sitting in a nearby chair and glaring at them. "I already said it wasn't broken," he replied calmly. "Would I lie about that?"

"Probably," Kaylee said with a grin. "But I don't think you are this time."

"_Méiyôu mûqin de xiao gôu_," Jayne muttered. "It always goes the same way. Your sister does something, and I'm the one who ends up dying."

Kaylee rolled her eyes. "Why are you still here?" she asked irritably.

"Because I'm not giving the doctor the satisfaction of breaking my nose and then getting punished for it by having his girlfriend give him a--"

He trailed off as River, who had been sitting quietly near the door, suddenly reached over and picked up a large scalpel from the table. She gave him an innocent smile, but the manner in which she was holding the instrument left no doubt in anyone's mind that it was a warning.

"Fine," Jayne muttered as he stood up and started toward the door. "I'll leave."

As he went past River, her made certain to skirt by as close to the opposite side of the door as possible. She merely grinned as he left and leaned back in her chair. "I didn't like kissing him," she said, shaking her head slightly.

"That's good to know," Simon said, flexing his fingers slightly and then grimacing.

River nodded. "Next time, I'll try kissing a girl," she said impishly.

Kaylee could barely control her laughter as Simon suddenly had a coughing fit. "Please tell me you're not serious," he said weakly.

River merely smiled primly at him. It faded after a moment though, and a strange expression appeared on her face. "They're coming," she said suddenly, glancing up at the ceiling as she spoke.

Simon stared at her for a moment. "Who's coming?" he asked hesitantly.

She didn't reply, and instead merely smiled again as a bright green light suddenly appeared on the room's ceiling. "_Bù kê néng_," Kaylee muttered as both she and Simon took several steps backward.

Four figures suddenly fell from the light, and it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. The three people who had already been in the room stared at the four people laying on the floor for a second before Kaylee quickly walked over to the door and stuck her head out. "Captain, you better get over here!" she called out. "Four strangers just fell out of the ceiling!"

At the sound of her voice, the people on the floor suddenly began moving. The first one to sit up was a teenage girl who appeared to be around River's age though.

"I've always wanted a Key," River said suddenly. "Can I keep her?"

*

"So you're all from the past?" Mal asked dryly. "And the reason you're here is because you," he pointed at Dawn, "are some kind of magical entity."

"That's about it," Faith said from where she was sitting.

Mal stared at them for a moment before shrugging. "I guess we've seen stranger things," he said, suddenly turning his attention toward Xander. "Why do you keep staring at me?"

Xander gave him a sheepish look, "Sorry, it's just... you look a lot like someone we knew."

"Ah," Mal said, nodding slightly, "an old friend?"

"More like a complete and total bastard," the younger man replied as he gestured toward his eyepatch. "He was the one responsible for this."

Mal nodded again, but - before he had a chance to say anything else - he was interrupted by the sound of Jayne colliding with the mess hall's wall. The wall opposite the place had been standing just a few seconds before.

Every eye in the room turned toward Faith, who was still sitting in her chair. "You really need to teach your friends some manners," she said, shaking her head.

Jayne let out a groan.

"Care to explain that?" Mal finally managed to ask.

Willow gave him a weak smile. "I'm guessing that you've probably never heard of a Slayer?"

When she received blank looks from almost everyone around her, she let out a sigh. "I'm not the best at telling the story, but I guess I can try."

"Would you mind if I tried my hand at it?" Book asked suddenly, speaking for the first time.

Willow, Xander, Faith, and Dawn stared at him, as did most of his fellow crewmates. When no one said anything, however, he started to speak.

"There once were demons that ruled Earth-That-Was, but most of the powerful ones left for other places when humans came about. Some stayed behind, though, breeding with humans, assimilating human ideas... and, in the case of vampires, infecting humans.

"No one knows exactly when they first appeared, but the vampires became a plague. The elders of several human villages met, and they decided to use the strongest and most powerful magic they could summon in order to create a power that could fight against the vampires. And that put that power into the body of a girl."

"He tells the story better than Giles," Dawn whispered to Willow, who merely put a finger to her lips.

Book continued on as if she hadn't said anything. "She fought, and when she died another girl took her place. There was always one, and only one, and she was trained by the descendants of the shamans who first created the Slayer. They were known as the Watchers."

"Sorry to cut in," Faith said suddenly, drawing an irritated look from Book, "but the whole 'one, and only one' part? Not always true."

"Really?" he asked, his irritation quickly replaced with interest.

"Yeah," Dawn said with a nod. "My sister became a Slayer when she was fifteen. She drowned when she was sixteen, but they resuscitated her. Another Slayer, Kendra, was still called though, and Faith became Slayer when she died."

"And your sister is still alive?" Book asked curiously. "In your time, I mean?"

"At the moment," Dawn replied. "I mean, she died again for three months or so, but Willow brought her back so... and I probably should stop right there. Anyway, it's possible for there to be more than one Slayer at once."

"Actually, there's a couple of thousand back in 2004," Faith said with a shrug. "We were facing a big bad, so Willow used magic to activate all the potential Slayers world-wide."

Wash slowly raised his hand. "I'm confused."

"So am I, actually," Book admitted. "The Watchers' Journals never mention anything about there being thousands of Slayers at once."

"Well, we're kind of the Watchers' Council at the moment," Dawn said sheepishly. "I'm sure that we'll get around to keeping journals though. Eventually."

"Ah." Book gave her a slight smile. "I see."

Kaylee cleared her throat. "Could you finish the story?" she asked, blushing slightly as everyone turned towards her."

Book merely nodded. "Sometime in the early twenty-first century, there was a battle. A Slayer, who was believed to have mystical allies, faced an apocalyptic army of demons. And when it was over, they were gone. Demons. Magic. Everything."

Silence filled the room for a second. "Fifty bucks says he's talking about us," Xander said weakly.

"Do you know anything else?" Willow asked weakly. "I'm assuming that there's more, or you wouldn't know the story."

Book nodded. "Several hundred years passed. The Watchers became nothing more than a cult of fanatics and fools. They believed that the demons would one day return, but they lost their sanity before that time came."

"But it did come?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, it did," he answered. "The vampires returned, and soon afterwards a Slayer was called. One who had a twin brother who... died."

"When you say died," Faith cut in, "you mean turned?"

"He became a vampire," Book answered with a nod. "And because he had received the prophetic dreams instead of his sister, he had the power to bring about the very destruction of the world."

"Now I'm interested on hearing about how you know this," Mal said with a raised eyebrow. "Because it sounds like you're talking about the destruction of Earth-That-Was."

Book smiled again as he leaned back against the wall of the room. "After the Slayers began being called again, the Watchers... gained new blood. Sane blood."

"So you're one of these Watcher people?" Jayne asked, drawing everyone's attention toward where he was laying. "That's your big secret?"

"I have more than one secret," he replied softly.

Silence filled the room once again. "Maybe we should discuss this some more in the morning?" Inara suggested, breaking the eerie stillness.

Mal nodded after a few seconds' pause. "That sounds like a good idea."

*

Dawn stretched before sinking down into one of the mess hall's chairs. "Well, this has been an interesting twenty-four hours," she muttered under her breath.

"It's not finished yet," River said, placing a hand on Dawn's shoulder and causing the other girl to let out a quiet gasp.

"I didn't know anyone else was here," Dawn said sheepishly as River sat down in the chair beside her.

River shrugged. "Only me, and I'm not anyone. Not always, at least."

Dawn gave her a slightly uncertain look. "Okay?"

"Didn't you know?" River asked with a grin. "I'm sometimes crazy. Not always, thanks to Simon. But sometimes."

"Well, I'm not going to argue with you," Dawn replied weakly.

River merely smiled. "You miss Buffy," she said softly. "I understand. When I was gone, I missed Simon."

Dawn gave her a suspicious look. "How do you know that my sister's name is Buffy?"

River leaned back in her chair. "They didn't tell you anything, did they?" she asked, shaking her head. "I know things."

"So you're psychic?"

"Maybe," River replied with a grin. "Or maybe I'm crazy."

Dawn stared at her for a second before nodding. "They both sound pretty valid to me," she said as she lay her head down on the table.

For several minutes, neither girl said a word. "You'll get home," River said softly, breaking the silence. "_Jèijei_ is stubborn."

Dawn raised her head and gave River a curious look. "_Jèijei_?" she repeated.

"Buffy," the other girl replied, a faint smile on her face. "_Jèijei_ is Buffy. Just like _ge ge is Simon."_

"So _jèijei_ is your word for sister?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Only older sister," River said, her smile growing with the passing moments. "We're both _mèimei_."

Dawn stared at the other girl for a moment before understanding flashed in her eyes. "Little sister?" she ventured.

River grinned and leaned back in her chair. "Do you want to learn more?" she asked, her eyes widening in excitement. "I can teach you."

Dawn gave her a weak smile. "I'm not sure that you'll have enough time," she said softly. "For all I know, my powers will send us back in time in twenty minutes."

"You'll have time," she said softly, barely even noticing the way Dawn's tentative smile froze. "The Lady of Blue doesn't know about you yet."

*

"We've been here almost a month," Faith said dryly. "I'm not going to have my baby on spaceship five hundred years after she was conceived."

"It might be a boy," Zoe said, not even glancing up from the papers she was reading.

Faith shook her head and grabbed another apple. "Nope, this little one's a girl. Yours, on the other hand--"

Zoe finally glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think I'm pregnant?"

"Trust me, when you've been carrying another person inside of you for eight and a half months, you notice things."

"I see," Zoe said with a nod. "If you tell Wash, I'll shoot you."

"Don't worry," Faith said, shrugging as she settled back in her chair. "Everything's five by five."

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that mean?" she demanded.

*

"She sounds like a nice girl," Wash said

"She was," Xander said, smiling slightly as he handed the other man a wrench. "Anya definitely was something special."

Neither man said a word for the next several minutes, and the only sounds in the room were dull thuds every time Wash tried to adjust anything underneath the control panels. "You're ready to find a way to get back home," Wash said, finally breaking the silence as he pulled out from under the controls.

"Yeah," Xander agreed after a moment's pause. "I'm really starting to miss things. And people."

*

"I think that I'm starting to get it," Dawn said, a smile making its way onto her face. "You're right, it really isn't that hard of a language to understand if you look at it from the right angle."

"Told you," River said with a grin. "_Gāxìng jìandào nî_."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "We've known each other for a moment. How can you be pleased to meet me?"

"Just testing you," she replied with a wink.

"_Xaèxia nî_ then," Dawn said a smile. "I really appreciate it."

River giggled. "_Xièxie nî_," she corrected her. "Thank you is _xièxie nî_."

Dawn let out a sigh. "What did I say then?"

"Not 'thank you,'" River said with a grin.

Rolling her eyes, Dawn leaned back in her chair. "You're a brat, did you know that?"

"Maybe," the other girl replied, her gaze focusing on Dawn's face.

For several seconds, a comfortable silence filled the room. "_Nî hâo mêi_," River said suddenly, her eyes not moving from Dawn's face.

"I'm not sure I understood that one," Dawn said, or at least she started to say. Before she had a chance to speak, however, River suddenly leaned in and pressed her lips against hers. Dawn felt her cheeks flush almost instantly, but she couldn't quite bring herself to pull away.

*

"Are you sure that you can't tell me anything else about what happens to the Slayers?" Willow asked.

Book shook his head as he settled back in his chair and picked up a nearby book. "I'm afraid not."

"Because you don't know anything else?" she asked. "Or because you're afraid I'll mess up history if I know something when I go back home?"

"Yes," he replied, not looking up from his book.

Willow let out a sigh as she sank down in a chair next to him. "You're even worse than Spike when it comes to keeping secrets."

"From what you've told me about him," Book said, chuckling, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't meant as one," she muttered.

*

River grinned slightly as she pulled away and watched Dawn's face suddenly turn red. "Simon punched Jayne after I kissed him," she said suddenly.

Dawn blinked, the surprised look on her face doubling in intensity. "You kissed your brother?"

"No," River said with a giggle. "_Ge ge_ would have been confused if I had kissed him. I kissed Jayne."

"Oh," Dawn said, looking even more confused. "Why would you kiss Jayne? He's... Jayne. I mean, he's not that hard on the eyes, but he's Jayne."

River shrugged as she leaned back against the bulkhead. "Never been kissed," she said. "Wanted to try. Preacher's too old, others were taken."

"Taken?" Dawn repeated slowly.

The other girl nodded. "Mal and Inara," she said, slowing holding up a finger as she said each name. "Wash and Zoe. Simon and Kaylee."

"And Book's too old, so you kissed Jayne," Dawn finished, comprehension dawning on her face. "I understand. But I still think you're crazy."

River grinned again. "I am."

"You know what I meant, psychic girl," Dawn said irritably.

The grin on River's face faded slightly, and she cocked her head. "You're mad?" she asked curiously. "Why?"

"I'm not mad," Dawn said slowly. "I'm just--"

She trailed off for a moment and stared at the blatantly curious expression on River's face. "Why did you kiss me?" Dawn asked hesitantly. "Was it just so that you could see what it was like to kiss another girl?"

River shook her head emphatically. "No," she replied quickly. "That's not why."

"Then why?" Dawn whispered.

For a few seconds, River merely stared at her in silence. Then she smiled. "Because Dawn's _mêilì_," she said softly, reaching out to gently touch the other girl's face. "I wanted to see if she was the same inside."

Dawn stared at her for a moment before leaning in and gently kissing River's forehead. "Am I _mêilì_ inside?" she asked softly as she pulled away.

River slowly nodded. "Very _mêilì_."

After a few seconds, Dawn's mouth twisted into a faint smile. Before she had a chance to say anything though, a loud crashing came from above them. "I wonder what's going on up there," she said, glancing upwards with a curious expression on her face.

"Lady of Blue," the other girl said softly, an unreadable expression on her face. "She's here to send you back to when you belong."

*

What appeared to be a woman, her hair and skin streaked with blue, stood in the middle of the mess hall, her eyes moving around the room. After a few seconds, her gaze lit on Willow. "I know you," she said matter-of-factly.

"Fred?" Faith asked, a startled expression on her face. The being turned her head toward the Slayer for a moment and stared.

"No," Willow said, shaking her head. "Illyria."

"Fred, Illyria, or whoever the hell you are," Mal said cold, "you better have a good explanation for showing up on my ship."

"I know you," Illyria repeated, cocking her head and completely ignoring Mal as she stared at Willow and Faith. "You were friends of the vessel known as Winifred Burkle. But it is impossible for you to be here. Your world died, just as mine did."

Mal cleared his throat pointedly. "Someone care to explain what the hell's going on?"

"She used to be a god," Xander said dryly. "You might want to step back and not push the matter too far."

Near the doorway, Kaylee took a step behind Simon. Wash followed suit and quickly ducked behind his wife, who shot him a bemused look. Book merely leaned back against the wall and made a point of keeping his gaze entirely focused on the scene taking place in front of him.

For a moment, Mal looked as if he was about to disagree with Xander's statement. Then a thoughtful expression appeared on his face, and he reluctantly bowed the floor to Willow.

"Why are you here?" she asked slowly.

Illyria stared at her. "I sensed power. Great power, like that which existed during my reign."

"That would be me, then," Dawn said as she stepped into the room, followed closely behind by River.

Illyria cocked her head, and an expression that could almost be described as joy appeared on her face. "The Key," she stated matter-of-factly.

"The Key," Dawn agreed. "My powers went wonky, we ended up in the future. Want to tell me how to get us home?"

For a moment, it looked as if Illyria was going to laugh. "You do not have control over your powers?" she asked.

"I'm not the only one not in her original packaging," Dawn said dryly. "I've only been in this body for four years or so, so I think you can give me a break."

Illyria stared at her. "What year are you from?" she asked, something akin to curiosity in her voice.

Dawn met her gaze. "2004."

"Before or after the battle?" she asked, cocking her head again.

"A few weeks after."

Illyria seemed to be thinking for several seconds. "My younger self will be with the others in the city with the large golden arch then."

"I told Buffy to check out San Francisco," Xander muttered nearby.

Ignoring him completely, Illyria continued. "I will help you control your powers then, and you will help me gain some of mine back."

"Won't that change the future or something though?" Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or is this what was supposed to happen?"

Something akin to a smile appeared on Illyria's face. "Deus ex Machina," she said lightly. "That is what he called it then. What he will call it once you return."

Before anyone else had a chance to say anything, Illyria cocked her head one last time before disappearing with a flash of light. The moment that she was gone, however, Dawn's entire body began glowing a pale green. "Here we go again," she muttered, gesturing for the other three Scoobies to get closer to her. "Everyone else might want to move back."

The others quickly followed her advice.

"Thanks for everything," Dawn said, her voice sounding older than time itself - and, at the same time, like a scared teenager.

"_Zài-jiàn_," River whispered as they disappeared in a flash of green light.

They stood there for a moment, staring at the empty space in the middle of the room, before slowly turning to head out of the room. Before anyone had a chance to leave, however, there was a dull thud followed by a muffled curse. As everyone turned around, they saw Dawn pulling herself to her feet.

"Wow, it worked," Dawn said in surprise as she glanced down at her body.

Everyone stared at her. "Forget something?" Mal asked. "You've only been gone two minutes."

Dawn blinked. "Okay, I definitely need to work on my timing some," she said, shaking her head. "I was hoping to show up at least a few hours later."

"You're wearing different clothes," River said with a smile. "And your hair is longer. Learning control?"

"Something like that," Dawn replied wryly.

River grinned. "Is it working?"

Dawn suddenly disappeared in a flash of green light, reappearing in the same spot five seconds later. "_Xièxie nîtìan xiâo de_," she said with a shrug.

Without pausing, she glanced over at Zoe. "Faith said to tell you that she was right about it being a girl," she said with a grin. "And that she's always right, so you better tell your husband. She wouldn't tell me what she meant though."

"I'll tell you later," Zoe replied, grinning slightly.

As Dawn let out a peal of laughter, River turned toward Simon. "I kissed her too," she said impishly. "Are you going to punch her?"

Simon blinked. "Please tell me you aren't serious."

River merely gave him an innocent smile.


End file.
